We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed several influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is from Laura Buffington, teaching pastor with SouthBrook Christian Church, Miamisburg, Ohio.

Wendell Berry: His poetry, stories, and essays on knowing our place and living in place reshape the world for me every time I read him.

Christena Cleveland: Her work on loving through differences is truthful and painful in all the correct ways.

Lee Magness: I’m indebted to many teachers from the Milligan College and Emmanuel Christian Seminary world. So much of what I try to say about Scripture is an attempt to echo him and others.

Barbara Brown Taylor: I learn from her how to speak of God carefully and widely.

Joe Boyd: I love what he’s doing in Cincinnati with Rebel Pilgrim Productions, bringing the stories of Scripture to life in theaters and on film. Honestly, I also work with him and putting him on my list could be useful for bargaining.